Amsterdam: the romantic side of this liberal (and crazy) city.

English:

Amsterdam: the romantic side of this liberal (and crazy) city.

Amsterdam was one of the excursions we felt most excited about on our exchange. As you know, it was not my first time in that city, but I still liked going there again: first, the weather was way better this time (it was sunny and the city was covered by many more pleasant colours), we had the opportunity to take a boat ride on several of its canals, the company was not the same, we enjoyed the presence of tulips... We fell in love with the city the minute of our arrival despite how chaotic it appeared to be at first sight: cars, motorcycles, bikes and hundreds of pedestrians!

A one-day trip to Cologne: padlocks that express a lot of love and one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world.

English:

A one-day trip to Cologne: 

padlocks that express a lot of love and one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world.

As I had already mentioned here, our school exchange with Germany gave us time to do much more than just to visit the places mentioned in my previous post. It was on this trip when my colleague and friend, David, and I went to Cologne by train one day. The train dropped us off right in front of the impressive cathedral of Cologne, our main objective. Built in Gothic style, this cathedral is the most visited landmark in Germany. Its construction began in 1248 and it was not finished until 1880. Until 1884, this cathedral was the tallest building in the world. Its interior decoration is full of medieval stained glass and the urn which supposedly contains the remains of the three Magic Kings.

A school exchange with a German school: the perfect way to discover incredible cities that we never thought we would visit.

English:

A school exchange with a German school: 

the perfect way to discover incredible cities that we never thought we would visit. 

The second trip I went on with my students (this time with a different group) was to Germany. It was especifically an exchange with a school (the Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium Stadtlohn) from the city of Stadtlohn, in Germany, in April 2014. Earlier that month, German students came to Mallorca and at the end of the month and until the beginning of May, it was us who went there. The programme was intensive, complete and exceptional. We never had a minute to get bored, we visited a lot of beautiful places, soaked in German (and Dutch - I'll explain why later) culture and traditions and met some wonderful people I keep in touch with today.

Going back to Belgium: the wonderful Grand Place at night and the lovely and magical city of Bruges.

English:

Going back to Belgium: the wonderful Grand Place at night 

and the lovely and magical city of Bruges.

In November 2013 my best friend and I went on another trip together, this time to Belgium. For me, as those of you who have been reading me know, Brussels was not new, but it was for my friend. However, this time we were not satisfied with just staying in the Belgian capital and so we also went to the splendid region of Bruges. After reading about Bruges in many articles from the National Geographic, we went there with very high expectations and, as expected, we were not disappointed. In fact, at least on this trip, we kind of preferred Bruges to Brussels due to its charm, its inhabitants, the hotel we stayed at...

My first cruise around the Mediterranean Sea: a great experience that allows you to visit a different city every day.

English:

My first cruise around the Mediterranean Sea: 

a great experience that allows you to visit a different city every day.

I had never gone on a cruise - not once in my life. We had discussed the idea several times at home, but we never got to do it. However, in June 2013, and after having been contemplating several ideas for the school trip, I went on one with the students who were then in ESO 4 (aged 15-16).

On June 20th, we left the port of Palma and set sail to Mahon, one of the ports of Menorca, considered (unofficially) to be the capital city of this small Mediterranean island. I had already been to Menorca before, but it had been years since I had last been there and I enjoyed it so much. There, everyone did what they fancied: some went shopping, others strolled around the market, others rented bicycles and went for a ride, and others just sat in a bar on the waterfront and watched the beautiful views they had.

Salzburg and why Mozart's birthplace offers visitors much more than (just) music.

English:

Salzburg and why Mozart's birthplace offers visitors much more than (just) music.

Our trip to Germany was not confined to the border limits of the country. Because of its proximity to Austria, we decided to go to Salzburg one day, too. In just over two hours by train we arrived at Mozart's birthplace and spent the whole day there. Also decorated with Christmas lights and a festive air, we loved Salzburg from the very beginning.

Bavaria: from terrific cities like Munich, charming villages like Füssen, inviting castles like Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau and breathtaking landscapes like Prien am Chiemsee to the horrifying scenery of a concentration camp.

English:

Bavaria: from terrific cities like Munich, charming villages like Füssen, inviting castles like Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau and breathtaking landscapes like Prien am Chiemsee to the horrifying scenery of a concentration camp.

As if it hadn't been enough with Prague in 2012 (and it wasn't really like that - I already explained why I fell in love with that city here), later that year I decided to go on a trip to Germany, specifically to the area of ​​Bavaria, and spend the Christmas holidays there. Some apartments located right in the centre of the city welcomed us and were our home for about a week in the wonderful city of Munich, just some steps away from the impressive City Hall, Marienplatz (the heart of Munich), several shopping streets and the many bakeries whose delicious products are worthy of any discerning palate.

Prague: charm, beauty and perfection in Kafka's hometown.

English:

Prague: charm, beauty and perfection in Kafka's hometown.

If I had to choose one of my favourite European cities, that would be Prague. I had wanted to visit the Czech capital city for years and it wasn't until May 2012 that I achieved it. The problem is that there are no direct flights from Mallorca and you always need to travel to another country first (in my case, I had to go to Germany first) and that is already some valuable time that you "waste" lost in an airport.

The first thing that surprised me once we were in Prague was the huge amount of tourists that visit that city every year. Although, well, why would something like that surprise me when I was the first person who fell in love with that city and who would go back there tomorrow if I had the chance? For a city whose touristic activity has boomed in a relatively short period of time, the fact that thousands of people visit it every day has meant that in most touristic places you need to buy a ticket to see them and a tiny gratuity is asked to take pictures. Still, I must say that it's worth paying some money to see some places of this wonderful city and I've got to admit that I'd do the exact same thing if I ever travelled to Prague again.